


Never Leave

by FinifugalRedamancy



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, College AU, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Slice of Life, Wounded
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-10
Updated: 2014-03-10
Packaged: 2018-01-15 07:06:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,388
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1295914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FinifugalRedamancy/pseuds/FinifugalRedamancy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jean and Marco have been fast friends since childhood, and plans for exploring the world together during college have always been part of the equation. But when a sudden turn of events occurs, Jean and Marco learn that that adventure doesn't stop at the hospital room window and friendship extends beyond the bounds adventure.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Never Leave

_~ September 14, 2001 ~_

 

Jean Kirschtein was not a patient child. He bounced eagerly in the doorway of his home, suited up in his brand new running shoes.With these babies, he was sure to be a hit on the first day back to Sina Elementary school. After all, having bright orange, light up shoes is really important in the 6th grade. The year previous, Jean had been the "cool guy" around class and he knew it. So now he planned to maintain his young fame with his efforts to stylize himself. It was already looking up to be a great first day. He could hardly wait to show off his new kicks to his buddies, instantly gaining him a few points. 

    Jean rocked back and forth on his heels, messing with his shaggy hair that fell slightly in his eyes,"Come on Dad, hurry up!" he whined, anxiously twisting the doorknob and frequently glancing at the clock, almost as if it was going to stop at any moment. The hands moved at a sloth like speed, proving to be torture to the squirming boy down below. The smell of toast lingered slightly in the air, driving Jean insane with the idea that his father was taking his sweet time eating toast on a morning like  _this._ He flopped down on the couch dramatically, throwing his head back and calling out for his father again, swinging his feet back and forth. He sat still for a moment before draping himself over the arm of the couch.

    "Daaaaad!" he called out again, a chuckle finally coming in response. There was a rustling of cloth and the sound of footsteps clunking down the wooden staircase as Mr. Kirschtein made his way to the living room, on the way snatching his toast from the kitchen. Jean dug the toe of his foot in the carpet and groaned dramatically. "That took you forever!" he moaned, exaggerating the last word. His father laughed again and sank down on his hunches so he was eye level with the antsy boy.

    "Sorry to keep you waiting squirt, let's go get em today, alright?" he said, holding out his fist in front of him. Jean eagerly nodded and pressed his small fist to his fathers, turning on his heel and rushing over to the front door. Mr. Kirschtein rose and opened it, his son taking off like a firecracker down the driveway. He hopped in the SUV parked nearby, his father climbing in briefly after and soon they were off.

     Jean's feet swung back and forth rhythmically to the hum of the engine, not quite touching the floor. The drive seemed slower than it ever had before, the scenery all blurring into one messy abstract painting of green, grey, and brown. Everything was drawn out to the point where it was almost painful to the young boy, squirming in his seat. He counted the landmarks that were in between his house and the school, estimating to the second.

     "Dad, are we there yet?" he whined, pressing his nose against the chilled window, staring out at the surroundings. Jean could see his father nod out of the corner of his eye, laughing gently.

     "Almost son, almost," he responded, making a left onto the next street.

      Sure enough, they pulled up to the small collection of buildings, the playground standing like a majestic castle in a field of sand. On the top of the castle? The one and only Princess Mikasa Ackerman. Jean blushed faintly, his eyes landing on the small girl with the red scarf who was always at the top, just examining the others. He would never admit it to your face, but the little guy had it bad for the stoic 7 year old.

      His father stopped the car and  Jean practically leapt out of the car, grabbing his backpack on the way out of the car. "Bye Dad!" he called, racing to the front gates with a shout of good luck ringing in his ears from his father. He swung open the latch door and ran through the playground, feeling confident and proud. Almost immediately he spotted his friends, and slinging his matching orange backpack on his shoulder, he made his way over to them.

     "Hey guys, look at these awesome things!" he beamed proudly, holding up his legs to they could all see. They glanced up for a moment, examining the footwear, then continued to mess around with the legos laid out in front of them. One boy scoffed.

     "Lame Jean, mine our green AND they glow in the dark," he said and the rest of the kids all chorused excitedly.

      A stab of pain overwhelmed Jean slightly as the others began to laugh at him. What had he done wrong? His shoes were just as cool as this guy's, they even lit up! The moment he had been waiting for for nearly a week came crashing down within seconds and the little tike felt the need to fix the issue immediately.

     "Y-yeah? Well mine light up when I stomp them on the ground, see?" he said with a quavering voice. He stamped his foot on the ground, however the lights in the room were too bright and the others couldn't see the flashing LEDs on his shoes. They all looked for a moment then away, disinterested.

     "Liar, I don't see any!" One protested, pointing at the orange kicks. Jean panicked.

     "I swear, I'm telling the truth!" he insisted and they laughed again. Jean's blood boiled and he balled his hands into fists. The one with the green, glow in the dark shoes looked up at him again with mischief glimmering in his eyes.

     "You're not cool anymore, like us. Sorry," he said shrugging, glancing back down at his workspace. Jean growled and marched over, hands shaking slightly.

      "Yes I am!"

      "No, you're no,"

      "Yes!"

      "No!!"

      "Yeah!"

      "N-"

      There was a crack and soon the boys were on the ground, on top of each other and squirming like crazy animals. Jean was screaming and punching the kid in the face. The other boys looked up and quickly backed away, the scene soon forming a crowd of 7 year olds. It didn't last long, the teacher Miss. Rico rushed over and separated the two. 

     "Jean! What do you think you're doing?!" she said, holding the other boy in her arms. He had a bloodied nose and was crying.

     "He said that I-"

     "I don't want to hear it. You go and see Principle Pixis, alright?" she said, wiping up the sobbing kid's nose. Jean hung his head in shame and scuffled out of the classroom, making his way down the hallways and into the principals office. He plopped down and kicked his feet back and forth again, messing around with his sweater sleeves that were a bit too long for his arms. It felt like hours passed when the frosted door behind the desk swung open and voices flooded out.

    "It was very nice meeting you Mr and Mrs. Bodt," the Principle said as a couple walked out of his private office. The woman had green eyes and a dust of freckles on her cheeks, light brown hair falling down her shoulder in a neat braid. The man had dark brown hair and warm brown eyes. "We are very excited to have Marco welcomed to our school."

    The couple walked around the tall counter and much to Jean's surprise, a boy his age appeared. He looked like a full mix of the two parents, with bright mocha eyes and freckles along his nose. His brown hair was neatly styled and he was a bit tall for his age. The boy glanced around the room, jumping slightly at the ring of the office phone. Then, his eyes landed on Jean and he gave a lopsided grin in the boys direction. Jean gave an awkward, but sincere smile back. The new Marco kid scurried to follow his parents, but as they passed through the doorframe into the hall he stopped and leaned over, whispering something into his ear.

     "I like your shoes," he said shyly, then rushing to follow after his parents. 

     Jean's eyes widened and he sat there for a moment before beaming proudly. It was then that everything started...

_~13 years later~_

     "Marco, I swear to God!" Jean growled, his fingers frantically scrambling around the game controller. The chuckle from the boy next to him sounded more evil than good natured at the moment.

     "Better catch up Jean or you owe me  _another_ 20 bucks," he teased, lightly running his shoulder into his scowling friend's. Jean grunted and bit down on his lip, attempting to get his truck ahead of Marco's. He quickly snatched up one of the many shirts that littered the messy dorm room and tossed it at the freckled boy's smug grin.

     "Don't distract me Bodt!" he yelled, his knuckled fading to white as his iron grip on the controller grew tighter. His truck edged up toward his opponent's, it's tires blowing up dirt and skidding slightly as it landed a combo jump, bonus point identifications flashing colorfully across the screen. The finish line was a ahead and they were neck to neck. Marco's teeth were furrowed into his bottom lip and Jean's eyebrows scrunched together in concentration. They hunched their backs and leaned foreword towards the screen and-

     "Did one of you guys steal my McDonalds gift card?!" Sasha shouted, bursting through the door. Jean, always the jumpy one, screamed like a freaking little girl and jerked the controller to the side, the truck extravagantly spinning off track as Marco's zoomed to the finish. Jean mentally cursed his friend's cool temperament and whipped his face up to the brunette in the doorway.

     "GODDAMMIT SASHA!" He screeched, throwing the control on the ground and flopping on his back. Marco cackled and shot his fist in the air.

     "Wooow, at this rate I could buy myself a nice little Corvette with all the bet money you've lost Kirschetin," he teased as the copper haired boy scowled. He sat up slowly covering his face with his arm and pulling out his wallet with another. Looking away he handed Marco the promised 20 dollar bill with a little 'Shut up' thrown in there. Marco beamed and responded with a sing-songed thank you, triumphantly putting it away in his pocket. Sasha was still laughing, one hand clutching her stomach and Connie appeared behind her.

    "What the hell is going on? You guys woke me up," he complained, earning a snort from Marco.

    "Connie, it's 2 in the afternoon," he commented, glancing back at the digital clock on the dresser, which sat next to a pair of dirty socks and a pile of textbooks. Connie shook his head.

    "To me, it's called 2 in the noon-morning, and I need my beauty sleep!" he whined, putting his hands on his hips and earning more laughter from Sasha. She abruptly stopped to grip him tightly by the shoulders.

    "Did you steal my McDonald's gift card?" She interrogated. He shook his head then rolled his eyes.

     "Yeah Sasha, cause while I slept for 15 hours I decided to take a leisurely trip to McDonalds while getting some shut eye," he teased then looked back at her,"Nah, it's in the bottom left drawer in the kitchen." She grinned brightly.

     "Thanks Connie!" She exclaimed, running down the hall. With that, Marco and Jean stood up to stretch. Marco grunted slightly as he did then looked in between the two guys. 

     "So what are we gonna do today?" The freckled boy asked, tugging down at his grey shirt which had ridden up from his stretch. Connie shrugged and yawned again.

     "Well we definitely need to get more groceries or else Sasha is gonna freak the fuck out," he said, squinting his eyes. Jean nodded, agreeing then scratching his head.

     "We could use a clean up around this place," he said, glancing around. There was a pause then all three of the guys laughed, shaking their heads. In actuality, the dorm room was an accumulation of 4 months of the boy's first year of college. It was currently winter break and since they had moved in, there had been no effort made to tidy up. No time in between their busy social lives. Sasha came back from the kitchen, clutching her gift cards.

     "Lets grab Ronald's then go hang with Armin, Mikasa, and Eren!" she proposed, gaining approving nods from Connie and Marco. Jean, however, groaned deeply.

     "God, anyone but Eren," he grumbled, his hatred swelling for the green eyed twerp. The others laughed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He hated the guy. He was cocky, loud, irritating, and irrational, not to mention he was always yelling about God knows what. Marco slapped him lightly on the back with a chuckle.

     "Oh come on Jean, I'm sure you can put up with him for a couple of hours," he mused then with a small little smirk,"and you know who else will be there." Jean blushed at the thought of Mikasa. Her long, silky black hair and beautiful grey eyes. Jean hid his reaction to his childhood crush's name with a grunt.

    "Fine. Fine. Whatever," he responded, irritated. Marco smiled triumphantly and the group exited their cluttered dorms, stepping over empty beer cans, clothes, wrappers, streamers, papers, etc. Sasha kicked aside her duffel bags, which were in front of the door. She didn't actually live in the dorm with Connie, Marco, and Jean, but she was always spending the night. Hell, she was practically moved in and had her own bed in Connie's room. There had been a spare half of a room so she had her own drawers and desk. However, she didn't put her things in there, more as miscellaneous food and beverages. What was the point in going back to her own crowded dorm full of people she barely knew then having to walk all the way across campus to get back to her guy friends'? The dorm monitor Hans was easygoing and understood the friendship situation, not minding that Sasha was technically breaking Trost University's rules.

The four exited their building and made their way across the courtyard towards Dorm Maria. This was the college life. 

**Author's Note:**

> Trying a Highschool AU out because I love them so much and JeanMarco is one of my OTPs! Yeah? YEAH! Alrighty so I'm waiting to see what's gonna happen with this, but never the less I'm excited.


End file.
